MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi Review
Conclusion
Conclusion
If you’ve read another of our Z890 reviews you can skip this paragraph. It bears repeating though. Like the rest of the Z890 motherboards we’re looking at today, we’re largely considering the MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi in a vacuum. We understand that there is a possibility this will be the only use of this particular socket, so the upgrade path might be a dead end. We also know the Z890 isn’t offering loads that isn’t already available on current Z790 platforms. They are, however, the only way you can use a Intel Core Ultra processor. We have to judge them on those merits.
Consider yourselves fortunate that it isn’t obligatory to read all of these in one go. We have to write them in a very compressed time-frame due to the nature of launch dates. This means that it is easy to feel like you’re saying the same things endlessly. In the case of the Intel Core Ultra processors and Z890 chipset motherboards, we are. Namely that the performance, for reasons hitherto unknown, is incredibly inconsistent.
Unfortunately for MSI that performance consistency is to the detriment of the MPG Carbon. It’s in the bottom half of nearly every test in our suite. Admittedly in some, Cinebench for example, it might be consistently at the foot of the graph but the actual numerical gap between first and last is slender. This is generally the case, but there are a couple of outliers. In both Far Cry 6 and Final Fantasy XIV – two very different games – the MSIs are grouped at the base of the graph and the ASUS at the top. With, it has to be said, a fair gap between them. We know there is a price gap too. We’re just pointing out that even within inconsistent results, there are consistencies.
However, this has been the case across all our time with the Intel Core Ultra processors. They just seem far less solid than their predecessors. We know Intel have gone to great lengths to solve the problems of their recent models, but this still feels embryonic. Hopefully a BIOS update, or Windows update, will strengthen the performance and straighten the path to improved performance. The MSI MPG Z890 Carbon WiFi certainly deserves more than the short shrift it’s getting at the moment.
The MSI MPG Z80 Carbon WiFi is the second most attractive Z890 motherboard we’ve got in the office. The feature set is plentiful and the price is reasonable. Although we’ve discussed performance a lot it’s worth noting that the actual results in raw number terms are similar across all of today’s reviews. For those smooth gradients, gorgeous RGB logos and beautifully arranged IO section the MPG Carbon wins our OC3D Aesthetic Award.
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